Behold: the Power of 311!

Over the past couple of years, researchers have analyzed 311 in all sorts of fascinating ways. Mapping out what kinds of complaints New Yorkers are reporting can tell us a lot about the state of the city, how it’s changed, and the kinds of things New Yorkers want to kvetch about. Apparently, 311 operators receive calls for advice on anything from how to dispose of spoiled milk to help with marital problems. As tenant organizers, we’re particularly interested in 311 calls in relations to tenants. According to a 2010 NY Times article:

Tenant complaints are the fourth most common calls to 311. And that doesn’t count inadequate-heat complaints, which are second only to noise.

Calling 3-11 to record a housing violation can be a pain. I’ve only done it once or twice, but most of the tenants in the buildings I work in have had frustrating experiences. Tenants are required to spend time on the phone, schedule an appointment with a city inspector to inspect the violation, and ultimately see few or no tangible results. In an emergency, the city makes the necessary repairs, particularly to address lead paint or problematic leak. At the very least, the city records the violation and tags on a fine for a landlord. It’s difficult to encourage tenants to continue calling 311 when it all seems so futile.

Nevertheless, one of the first things we encourage tenants to do is to call 311 and report all violations in their building and apartment. During a building campaign, a high violation count can be used by lawyers, politicians, and the media to demonstrate conditions in a building or unit, and to draw attention to the larger campaign.

We realize that the violation count on a building does not tell the whole story, and can often inaccurately state the level of distress. We often see landloreds sweeping in to buy a building, and quickly clear violations through patch-work repairs: painting over mold, throwing some dry wall on a leak. These repairs are not sustainable, and create reoccurring problems both for tenants and for the city that has to send inspectors back to record the same violation over and over again. This problem is the basis for the new city legislation which would force landlords to fix underlying conditions. Instead of patching a leak, they’d have to fix the roof. As organizers, we encourage tenants to call 311 on any problems including faulty repairs so that the violation count can more accurately reflect conditions.

In addition to the concrete ways that 311 violations serve as a tool for tenants and urban-improvement, I believe that there’s a whole other value to 311 that’s often overlooked. 311 is a venue for agitated New Yorkers to complain about anything from a hole in your ceiling to a noisy ice cream truck parked outside at 11:00 pm, and this helps the city run a little better. If not for a service to report your annoying neighbors or a loud dog, what would the city become? In my mind, it would be a hot mess of overflowing aggression towards other people? Through taking out our anger on a friendly operator and feeling as though justice has been served, we can all move on with our lives.

In case you are curious (or angry about your neighbor’s pet lion and not sure what to do) here are some notable reportable violations that you might not have been aware of:

Report an item or animal that has fallen into a catch basin.

Make a complaint about a yellow taxi driver’s rudeness, unsafe driving, or refusal to comply with a request, or a problem with vehicle maintenance.

Report a foul odor coming from an unknown source.

Report a homeless person who is currently ill, dangerous, creating a hazard, or outstretched in a subway or other Transit District area.

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The Surreal Estate is made up of the Organizing and Policy Department of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board. We are motivated by our belief that all building residents have a say in what happens in their homes, and that tenants have an inherent right to assert their collective vision about how their homes should look and feel. The views and opinions expressed in these posts are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board as an organization.

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